St. Landry democrat., 1887-04-16
FIFTY YEARS AGO.
Hist orical and Statistical Facts Relating to
ChicagO's Marvellous Growth.


Chicago's Marvellous Growth.
Born, at Vandalia, ILL.,, Saturday,
March 4, 1887, the City of Chicago
Historic words are these. The birth OF
a city but half century ago, having at
the time of incorporation but 1000 in-
habitants This year that babe records
her tlftleth anniversary as a city with a
population of 10000 people. Enter.
prise and thrift We're her parents, nat
ural resources her succor, and she was
! perseverance of honest hearts, strong
hands, and clear heads. and a situation
unsurpassed. What a history is this!
A city born out of swamp lands and
odorous wild-onion beds. Grown to be
4 mighty metropolis in thirty-four short
years, destroyed almost in day by a
: demon of fire, and within a period OF
another sixteen years entirely rebuilt
with grandeur and stability almost
beyond the comprehension of those not
familiar with the city's history.
August 10, 1888, the young village OF
Chicago was incor Sorated as town
The event was talked of with pride by
the few hardy settlers living in the
vicinity, for then the willy savage built
his wigwam unmolested within a
stones throw of every inhabitable
building in the fort. and the adventure
Gus settler, amid continued hardships,
cultivated small portion of the fertile
prairies far away from the everyday
comforts of civilization, and tilling
soil which he called his own only by
virtue of q ''squatter's claim. y The
county of Cook, named i'll honor of the
Hon. Daniel p Cook, had been por-
toned off from Peoria county but two
years before-in 1S31-when the village
of Chicago was incorporated into Il
town by an almost unanimous vote, Il
voting in favor and l against the
change. The following year-1834-tEe
poll-list had but III names registered rs
voting. and the total tax receipts
amounting to but $4S. 80, a sum insutii-
cient to meet current expenditures and
pecessitating loan of $50 for street
improvements. Gradually the tide of
emigration drifted westward. and many
stopped at that point, coming by boat
or horseback around the lake by way
of Detroit and along the lake shore.
New buildings sprang up like mush-
rooms to accommodate the newcomers,
and by 1886 luxuries as well as the
necessities of life were among the i'm
ports of the merchants doing busi-
ness here. The uncertainty of title
to lands vested in the Government by
the Indians caused urgent appeals to
be made for relief, and in July, 1886.
the first sale of canal lands was held
here and the titles given by the canal
trustees to purchasers.
From this time an unhealthy period
of speculation began; values were very
unsteady and varied greatly from week
to week, resulting in financial crash
the following year. A branch of the
Second State Bank, the first to do
general banking business, was located
here in 1886, and went down with the
rest in the eventful year of '37. On
November 18. 1886, the board of trus-
tees for the "town'' of Chicago held
meeting and ordered "that the presi-
dent invite the citizens of each of the
three districts (north, south and west) |
of the town to meet in their respective
districts and select three suitable per-
sons to meet with the board of trustees
on Thursday evening next and consult
together with them on the expediency
of applying to the Legislature of the
State for Il city charter and adopting a
draft to accompany such application"
All the provisions of a city were
finally agreed upon and the board of
town trustees sent a messenger by
the stage-coach with it to Vandalia,
about seyenty-fivc miles below Spring
field, where the Legislature was in ses-
sion. The act of the incorporation of
the city was approved March 4, 1887.
The first census taken after the incor-
poration was July 1. 1887, and showed a
total population of 4,179. divided as fol-
lows:
Under 81 Overs,